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He ruffled her silky hair, then arranged it, caressing the bare skin of her shoulders. Over Dafna’s head he noticed Gal frowning at him. Butterflies danced in his belly as he took the leap. He kissed Dafna, lightheaded from his decision, her sweet toothpaste morning breath fresh in his mouth. She met his tongue with hers and bit his lower lip, and he got lost in their kiss.
“Now my daughter definitely gets it.” He’d never kissed any woman in front of his daughter, but kissing Dafna was the right thing to do. He cared about Dafna, and Gal needed to know it.
“She does,” Dafna agreed, her head tilted, a small smile hovering. She seemed as pleased about it as he was.
“Here, let me,” he said and fitted the hat, adjusting the Velcro. “Can I spend the evening with you? I’m being banished from my home. Or do you have your sons with you?”
“No, it’s Ilan’s weekend. Come over.”
“There’s something I need to talk to you about. Concerning Kisharti.”
“What about Kisharti?” Dafna squinted. Sun or concern? Probably both.
“It’s a small matter that I need to clear up with you.” He wanted her penetrating eyes to soften. “Now, forget about work. Paddleboarding is fun. Let’s get to it.”
Chapter 27
The Best Morning
“Are you okay?” she asked Erez. “It’s a big deal to kiss me in front of your daughter.”
She followed his eyes. His daughter was with her uncle and both were busy with her paddleboarding instructions.
“I wanted to kiss you in front of my daughter.”
She met his serious green stare and smiled. “Good.”
He grabbed her hand and navigated them away from the large white tent of the paddleboarding group. There were fewer people here, and she was very grateful for that. She was clumsy on the dance floor and would probably flail here, too, causing him embarrassment.
“I’m warning you, standing and trying to balance on a piece of wood on raging waves stresses me.”
“It will be okay. I’ll be with you all the time. Plus, look around. A bathtub has more waves than the sea this morning.”
“I’m so uncoordinated, you wouldn’t believe.”
She watched the other paddleboarders already entering the sea, undecided about going on, worried about making him frustrated with her.
“What do you mean?”
But she shared enough painful memories with him for one weekend, and her failed tango experience with Ilan would stay private for now. He fixed a strand of hair underneath the baseball hat he thoughtfully provided for her.
“You don’t have to,” he said gently. “We’ll sit here in the shade together until Gal is done.”
No, she wouldn’t let her baggage freeze her like that. He wasn’t her husband, and so she could be clumsy with him, because she wasn’t trapped in the power plays of a dying marriage.
“I’ll give it a try.”
“Great! Okay,” he pointed, “this is the board, and this is the paddle. Let’s skip for today the long safety explanations, since I’m going to be right there with you the whole time. Okay?”
“Thanks.”
“To begin with, you’ll be sitting on your knees and only if you feel okay you’ll stand. Many don’t feel secure enough to stand on their first lesson, so it’s perfectly fine if you don’t.”
She took off her dress. At this early hour, the sun, barely above the eastern horizon, was benevolent. She had on her red swimsuit, the one that created a deep v between her boobs. He passed a fingernail along the dip of her cleavage, sending a thrill all the way to her center.
“What time can I be at your place tonight?” he asked hoarsely.
“Whenever you want.”
